Prevalence and correlates of problematic smartphone usage in undergraduate students in health courses

• Autor(a) principal: Paula, Jonas Jardim de
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Menezes, Gabriel Acácio Pena de, Takeuchi , João Pedro Paz, Monteiro, Luciana Alves Silveira
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Debates em Psiquiatria (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistardp.org.br/revista/article/view/56
• topic: Saúde Mental; Smartphone; Comportamento Aditivo; Transtorno de humor; Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade; Mental health; smartphone; addictive behavior; mood disorder; attention deficit; hyperactivity; salud mental; smartphone; comportamiento adictivo; trastorno del estado de ánimo; déficit de atención; hiperactividad

Introduction: Young people consider smartphones as essential because they offer an infinite range of services and operate many different functions, enabling them to substitute many different devices. Problematic smartphone use has both physical and psychological implications. Objective: To establish the prevalence of problematic smartphone use (PSU) among undergraduate students at a private medical school in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, and to correlate this behavior with mood disorders, sleep disorders, cognitive disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Method: The sample was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Epworth Somnolence Scale, the Smartphone Dependence Inventory, the Adult Self-Report Scale (ASRS-18), and the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire. Results: A total of 156 volunteers participated in the study, the majority of whom were medical students. The prevalence of PSU was 52.5% and was statistically correlated with symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity, mood disorders, and sleep disorders. The prevalence rates of symptoms of depression and anxiety were 66.6 and 82.69%, respectively. Conclusions: We conclude that PSU is a prevalent phenomenon among students studying medicine and related areas and can be associated with somnolence, affective disorders, and symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity.